This was the breakout hit for Roberta Flack; it was #1 in the US for six weeks. Flack had released two solo albums without commercial success, as her blend of jazz and folk styles struggled to find an audience.
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Suggestion credit: Bertrand - Paris, France

Folk singer Ewan MacColl wrote this in 1957 for his lover Peggy Seeger. She was in a play and phoned him for suggestions on a song for a romantic scene. MacColl wrote this on the spot in less than an hour, playing it over the phone for his wife to use in her play. "We weren't really getting along at the time," Peggy Seeger recalled to Mojo magazine of the romantic epic in a 2015 interview. "After all he was married to someone else then."

MacColl was married to his second wife, Jean Newlove at the time. He left her for Peggy Seeger and the pair eventually tied the knot in 1977.

This was used in the 1972 Clint Eastwood movie Play Misty For Me. It gave a great deal of exposure to the mostly unknown Flack.

This won the Grammy awards in 1973 for Song of the Year and Record of the Year, beating out Don McLean's "American Pie" in both categories.

Peggy Seeger recorded her own dance version on Folksploitation, a 2012 album that found the 77-year-old folk-singer collaborating with a DJ/producer operating under the name Broadcaster. "I couldn't sing it for 15 years after Ewan died but now I love to," she told Mojo.

The title is the first words of the lyrics, but that is the only place those words appear.

Comments: 23

Heard the song once, bought the album for my boyfriend who later became my husband. Together for 39 years. When I think of him now, 5 years after he passed away, this song still describes how I felt/feel about him, especially the first line.Hilda - Ct.

On June 19th 1973, Roberta Flack performed "Jesse" on her own ABC-TV special 'Roberta Flack: The First Time Ever'...A little under three months later on September 16th, 1973 it entered Billboard's Hot Top 100 chart at position #83; five weeks later on October 21st, 1973 it would peak at #30 {for 1 week} and it stayed on the chart for 9 weeks...It reached #3 on Billboard's Adult Contemporary Tracks chart and #19 on Billboard's R&B Singles chart...The song was surrounded by #1 records; her two previous releases, "First Time Ever I Saw Your Face" and "Killing Me Softly with His Song", both peaked and #1; then "Jesse" was succeeded by "Feel Like Makin' Love", which also reached #1..."Jesse" was composed by Janis Ian; and Ms. Ian would record it herself for her 1974 album 'Stars'.Barry - Sauquoit, Ny

Ewan McColl wrote this song after seeing his little daughter's face for the first time, just after she was born. He made it into a love song for his wife as well.Barry - Baku

On February 27th 1972, "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face" by Roberto Flack entered Billboard's Hot Top 100 chart at position #77; and six weeks later of April 9th, 1972 it peaked at #1 {for 6 weeks} and spent 18 weeks on the Top 100...And March 26th, 1972 it also reached #1 and for also 6 weeks on Billboard's Adult Contemporary Tracks chart {plus it peaked at #1 in Canada and Australia}...It prevented "Rockin' Robin" by Michael Jackson and "I Gotcha" by Joe Tex from reaching #1, both peaked at #2 on the Top 100… Was track six from her debut album, 'First Take', the album was released in 1969 and three years later on April 23rd, 1972 it peaked at #1 {for 5 weeks} on Billboard's Top 200 Albums chart.Barry - Sauquoit, Ny

I was told years ago that Roberta wrote this song about her little black kitten...I saw a reference a few comments back about a cat that was killed on tour ...so possibly a true story then...either way..a lovely song :)Sandra - Traralgon, Australia

The first time you feel the earth, u feel your soul move as eyes tell the truth, like a romantic novel. tyKimberly - Landing, Nj

Roberta Flack's recording of this song is one of the most beautiful things ever recorded.Mark - Mchenry, Il

Most of the songs' lyrics don't match what is sung. The original recording sounds different, I have it on 8 track, the last verse is about the same as the first except the last 2 words are repeated twice.Michael Scott - Punta Gorda, Fl

This song was #1 for six weeks; then her next release, "Killing Me Softly With His Song", stayed at #1 for five weeks. It was followed by "Jesse" which only reached #30, but she roared back with "Feel Like Makin' Love", which peaked at #1 for one week!!!Barry - Sauquoit, Ny

THE best setting for listening to this song.....in a room in COMPLETE darkness (& NO closing your eyes is NOT the same LOL). Anyone agree?Ricky - Ohsweken, -

In the original recording, the last line is "I THOUGHT our joy would fill the earth...." With R. Flack's cover, the line is, "I KNEW our joy would fill the earth..."

That one word, for me, changes it from someone reminiscing about a past love to someone singing about a current relationship.

Both renditions are beautiful, but it's interesting how a much impact a little nuance in the lyrics can have.P - Chicago, Il

this song can make anyone feel like they want to be in love with someone .this is the song me and my and my husband everynight before we go to bed it reminds us what love was all about in the in the seventiesCynthia Haynes - Bridgeton, Nj

I saw her on Merv Griffin or a sim. show in the mid 70's. I had to refresh my understanding of the story again, but according to her, she cried during the recording of this song. She was thinking of a lost love- Sancho Panza. Sancho was no ordinary man, in fact he wasn't even human. He was her cat that had gotten killed when she was touring. She found out when she got home, just two days before going into the recording studio. Apparently, he crept crept back into her memory.www.superseventies.com/1972_8singles.htmlMike - Seattle, Wa

Alex of Melbourne, Australia wants to know how Roberta Flack got onto "The First Time Ever" 15 years after Ewan MacColl wrote it. I learned it from the Chad Mitchell Trio album "Reflecting" (1964?). In the fall of 1966, while working at the Host Farm, a resort hotel in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, I gave the lyrics and guitar chords to Morgan Ames, who was performing at the piano bar. In the summer of 1974(?) My wife and I saw Roberta Flack perform at the Valley Forge Music Fair outside Philadelphia. She introduced the song by saying that she learned it from her "good friend Morgan Ames". Ron White, Atlanta, GeorgiaRon - Atlanta, Ga

The first time ever I heard this song (sorry, I couldn't resist that!) was by Peter, Paul, & Mary, on their album, 'See What Tomorrow Brings' (1965). It totally blew me away. That's still my favorite version, although I really like what Roberta did with it, too. But if you haven't heard the PPM version, get it -- you won't regret it. *** Don (Shreveport), actually, they don't. If RF did the song this way, it was her own artistic touch, not the original version.Fred - Laurel, Md

@Esther, Liverpool:

Started collecting this song in 2002, I have 46 different recordings by 42 artists.John - Pick One, Netherlands

every time i hear this song i think about my two nieces and my fiance.it always makes me bawl like a baby because it is such a beautiful song.grace,new yorkGrace - Astoria, Ny

A lovely song, never fails to bring a lump to the throat.Paul - Worthing, England

what a great love song, remember seeing a tv testimonial for Clint Eastwood years ago , it was like a dinner type setting , Roberta got up and sang this song ....great stuffPete - Nowra, Australia

Someone wrote: "The title is the first words of the lyrics, but that is the only place those words appear."

Actually, no. They also comprise the end of the song, repeated twice.Don - Shreveport, La

Anyone know how Roberta Flack got on to this song 15 years after it was written by MacColl?Alex - Melbourne, Australia

This is one of my favourite songs :) it has been covered quite a lot, by George Micheal, The Stereophonics and Celine Dion.Esther - Liverpool, England